Provided photo
Philip Bartlett, Maine Public Utilities Commission
June 17, 2025
CMP customers will see higher monthly bills starting July 1
PHOTO / COURTESY of Central Maine Power Co.
January 2024 storms damaged utility infrastructure across multiple Maine coastal communities.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission has granted Central Maine Power a rate adjustment that is expected to add close to $5 per typical household monthly bill beginning July 1.
The kilowatt-per-hour rate for residential customers will increase from $0.270 to $0.278.
This change is driven primarily by recovery costs the utility incurred in the wake of severe storm damage in late 2023 and early 2024, and also reflects legislation enacted to support Maine’s climate and clean energy initiatives.
"These rate changes reflect our statutory obligations and are primarily driven by costs that have already been incurred or approved, including those that support the state’s energy and climate policy goals," Philip L. Bartlett II, chair of the Public Utilities Commission.
According to a statement from the regulator, other contributing factors to the rate hike are adjustments to the Efficiency Maine Trust assessment rates and changes to transmission service rates, which are set by the regional transmission operator and reviewed through federal regulatory processes.
CMP spokesman Dustin Wlodkowski noted that the damage to utility distribution equipment from the two historic storms was significant, and that the company has been working to modernize the grid.
“We don’t profit from storm costs. We’re focused on long-term grid investment, including substation improvements, protective covered tree wire and stronger, thicker utility poles, which will allow us to restore power faster after a weather event," he said.
After the ice storm of 1998, it took the utility 21 days to restore power to all customers.
“By comparison, after the recent extreme storms similar or larger in scale, during which as many as 300,000 to more than 400,000 CMP customers lost power, the vast majority of customers had electricity restored in two to five days," Wlodkowski said.
This rate increase is the second this year; the first took effect Jan. 1, and reflected a residential boost of a little under five cents per kilowatt hour.
“Prices per kilowatt hour for average residential customers remain below levels seen in 2023," he noted. “The trend of extreme weather continues despite a relatively mild 2025 so far in terms of extreme storms. However, if we continue to experience a pattern of fewer extreme storms in 2025, our customers could see a significant decrease in storm-related costs next summer.”
CMP is owned by Connecticut-based Avangrid and services 675,000 customers in Maine from Kittery to Moosehead Lake, and west to the N.H. border. Avangrid serves customers in 23 other states including Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut.
The other major electricity utility in the state, Versant Power, is currently reviewing rates before the PUC, according to Susan Faloon, a PUC spokesperson.
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